Atma Equine

05/14/2024

Thank you for the recent training inquiries and referrals. At this time, Atma Equine is not accepting new clients. Please check back in the future. - Sarah Serfling

05/14/2024

to Duke and me in 2018. Duke was my first horse ever, and this was after 10 years of us figuring out how to get on the same page! Lol. I'm so thankful Duke was in my life. I wouldn't be where I am now as a horsewoman if not for him.

05/12/2024

Zen stones, balanced

05/12/2024

Missing Josey every day...The best four-legged sidekick a girl could ask for 🥹

05/05/2024

"Each day of human life contains joy and anger, pain and pleasure, darkness and light, growth and decay. Each moment is etched with nature's grand design - do not try to deny or oppose the cosmic order of things." - Morihei Ueshiba, founder of aikido, in his book "The Art of Peace"

Here are scenes of and around the riding arena - the classroom - from yesterday, during and after the rain.

04/30/2024

Life has a funny way of closing and opening doors, so that you end up right where you're supposed to.

Now entering a very meditative chapter - learning French classical methods of dressage in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

04/29/2024

Another to early 2023 with Moonshine 🥰

Quantity vs. Quality - As a horsewoman and as a trainer trying to 'prove' her abilities, my younger and former selves put high emphasis on "How Much" they could accomplish with a horse. More tricks, more maneuvers, more bridleless stunts! Gradually, my focus has shifted to "How Well" I can do things with a horse, which requires a more connection-oriented mindset, as well as considering how what I do benefits the horse.

04/24/2024

Throwback to 2020, teaching a horse half steps (preparation for piaffe) for the first time by myself - and no one to hold my phone for me either... This gelding was named Truck Stop.

I don't often share much dressage content, since my last four years have been spent focusing on liberty, groundwork, starts & restarts, and problem solving with troubled horses.

However, I am glad for my foundation in dressage and thankful for what I've learned from my past teachers.

03/22/2024

This was Willow, a young filly with suspensory desmitis (DSLD.) The visible symptom of DSLD is dropped fetlocks. Here are before/after results gained very slowly with careful in-hand work, PEMF treatments, good barefoot trimming work, and added Vitamin E and amino acids to the diet.

Willow went on to be my demo horse at the first groundwork clinic I ever gave!

Nothing beats time, patience, and attention to the details.

03/20/2024

At the end of 60 days, from "never ridden" til now! These little steps are going to become a really nice turn on the haunches someday...

03/18/2024

Always a cool and educational time when Stephanie of is in town. She watched part of the training session this morning with G and then tailored her bodywork accordingly to best support and optimize his performance.

03/15/2024

One of my favorite groundwork exercises - standing at the mounting block at liberty

03/13/2024

03/01/2024

Thankful for the weather and sunshine allowing for some really nice rides and groundwork sessions today. Everyone made positive steps in the right direction and found moments of softness.

Photo today by owner during G's fourth ride under saddle.

Have a wonderful weekend!

02/29/2024

Almost 20 years in the saddle, and what a wild ride it's been.

My childhood self knew I was going to be a horse trainer. My first riding instructor was a c**t starter, and she was a hero to me. In middle school, I doodled on my homework and planned where my future round pen would go.

Throughout life, people have helped me find plenty of reasons to doubt myself.

"You're not naturally athletic," someone said.

"No one will want you to train their horses with that seat." (Regarding my c**t-starting "slouch," a habit from riding green horses.)

"If this were Road to the Horse, you'd be dead in the water." (While halter-breaking a half-feral, aggressive rescued mare who wanted to protect the baby at her side.)

"Are you even a real horse trainer?" (Four years ago, my training gig was only part-time.)

In Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers, he writes about 10,000 hours of practice as a milestone for how long it takes to get really good at a skill. When I crossed the 7500 hour mark myself a year or so back, I noticed people treated me differently. Not long after was the first time an FEI rider with a show record longer than my resume hired me - not as an employee but as a colleague - to help with a specific horse's behavioral problem. I may or may not have been shaking in my boots, wondering if I deserved to be there.

When I audited Manolo Mendez's clinic last fall, I was overjoyed to see I was the youngest person there. With so many talented young riders abound, I had felt that I was a bit "expired" as I've gotten closer and closer to 30. In actuality - I have a bright future ahead, and I am excited about it. I have started to think (maybe naively,) "I can't wait until I'm forty. In eleven more years, I might really know something!"

I couldn't be more blessed to be on this path, with the fabulous horses and people in my life who have joined my journey, believe in the program, and continue to inspire me. My inner child - who has whispered at the darkest and lowest moments, "Keep going! Try again!" - would be proud of who I'm growing up to be.

Arnall's Naturals
Stuart Rybak saddles and tack
Professional's Choice
CercaTrova Equestrian Mindset Coaching
JBM Equine Services
Brenda Paradis/Diamond B
Equine Align
Considering the Horse, Mark Rashid

02/29/2024

You can't hear it in the video, but his halt was from me saying the word, "Whoa." I dismounted and ended the ride there. Great progress and tons of try from this big handsome dude!

02/13/2024

I'm beyond excited and overjoyed to share that Atma Equine is FULL for the start of 2024! Thank you to all my wonderful clients, friends, loved ones, and colleagues who have put faith and trust in my horsemanship.

To learn more about my mobile training program - or to join the waitlist - PM or text me at 469-875-5433.

01/30/2024

Day 2 of getting the Friesian Sporthorse stallion, G ready to start under saddle ❤️ learning to accept my Stuart Rybak saddles and tack western saddle and wearing one of Stuart's handmade training halters.


**tstarting

01/17/2024

One of my clients made the cutest video of her long yearling filly's first haltering session with me this morning 🥰 Thank you, Melanie!

12/17/2023

*Important Announcement*

Atma Equine is closed for the holidays. Thank you to the friends, family, clients, and mentors who made 2023 an amazing year that was filled with many personal and business milestones. I cannot express my gratitude deeply enough to everyone who supports my mission of making empathetic, ethical horsemanship practices accessible to all.

Stay safe, stay warm, and hug your ponies tight as we all look forward to a bright future and new year ahead!

-Sarah Serfling

12/07/2023

Stuart Rybak makes the best saddles for the serious rider. The tooling and quality are absolutely beautiful. Most of all, I love that I can feel safe and secure on any horse I ride, as well as have the peace of mind that my tack won't fail me if things get "western!"
Stuart Rybak saddles and tack

12/04/2023

Sedona has been on Arnall's Naturals since mid-October with amazing results! Have you ever seen a varnish appy with a natural tail like that?? Sedona gets two scoops of Arnall's Naturals Total + Joint daily, which I mix into soaked beet pulp so Sedona doesn't miss a bite! Arnall's keeps Sedona's coat shiny, his joints healthy, and gives me peace of mind that my horse will be in great condition for training in the wintertime. I am so happy with the product and would recommend Arnall's Naturals to any horse owner, barn, or trainer.

12/01/2023

With so many new followers to the page and my website currently under construction for updates, I thought I would re-introduce myself and share my bio.

My name is Sarah Serfling, and I have 19 years of horsemanship experience, which includes both training horses and teaching riders. I enjoy practicing liberty, bridleless riding, classical dressage, groundwork, and foundational western principles, and I have worked with both unstarted and troubled horses.

My education includes coaching from multiple Grand Prix and FEI dressage riders, a 2x Road to the Horse judge and two certified clinicians of Road to the Horse winners, top performers in the liberty and equine theater industry, and a World Equestrian Games reining competitor.

In 2021, I passed my International Liberty Horse Association judging exams in the Freestyle, Liberty, and Bridleless divisions.

I have held positions that include Technical Director of Dancing Horses Theater, Assistant Riding Instructor at Tuskey Dressage, and Head Trainer at LB Equine Sales, LLC.

I was accepted to compete in the Colt-Starting Challenge USA series in 2020 (events canceled due to Covid19.)

I have provided consultation and written curriculum for an equine-facilitated leadership program, implemented by the Equiatude Foundation in Fredericksburg, TX.

In the last two years, I have begun studying with my current mentor, Mark Rashid. Mark frequently collaborates with the current national leading researcher in equine neuroscience, Dr. Steve Peters, as well as renowned bodyworker Jim Masterson.

Pictured is me from high school years with my beloved dressage horse, Percy, who deeply influenced my journey to learn better biomechanics and ethical training methods.

Thanks for reading!

Sarah Serfling

11/30/2023

Atma Equine is committed to fostering synergy between horses and humans through ethical, research-based training practices.

📸: Imagery Hill


Arnall's Naturals

Professional's Choice

Scents of The Texas Hill Country
CercaTrova Equestrian Mindset Coaching
Trinity Valley Ranch

11/28/2023

I am grateful for every improvement in balance and harmony that I am fortunate enough to experience.

11/27/2023

On Disengaging the Hindquarters:

"If you want to add a "wrinkle" to this exercise," my teacher Mark Rashid told me in our last lesson, "try to get the outside front foot to step forward and across when you yield the hind leg. That would be better for the horse's body."

Picture below of me practicing the concept with Sedona, who is starting to glow-up big time after six weeks on Arnall's Naturals. (More on that coming soon.)

📸: Imagery Hill

11/08/2023

After a couple days of low-expectation groundwork and riding at the walk, plus PEMF on Sunday, Sedona's demeanor while saddled improved tremendously. He was much more engaged mentally with me and relaxed through his whole body.

10/31/2023

The only way to truly successfully go to college is to practice "college" in daily life. It takes 24/7 practice to be a good student.

I have dealt with both a TBI and PTSD (unrelated to one another) for over 12 years, but it wasn't until yesterday when the Canadian osteopath at the Manolo Mendez TEXAS Clinic finally worked on me that I knew for certain I am on a path to recovery and that I am capable of living an empowered existence.

This weekend, I saw miracles - for example, Manolo Mendez cantering a horse that had been previously exhibiting symptoms of kissing spine in a perfect circle, in a downward stretch, in total harmony...without holding the reins. The fact that I was there at the clinic - alone by myself on the dates overlapping the full moon and lunar eclipse right before All Hallows Eve, 30 minutes from San Antonio, three weeks after concluding six months at Stuart Rybak Horsemanship, where I got some education about the arts of hobbling, laying down with ropes, flying changes, the reining spin, and Philippians 4:6-4:7 - is nothing short of a miracle as well.

Learning takes place in all sorts of ways. From Stuart Rybak, I eventually figured out how to roll a round bale by myself without assistance - a horsemanship version of "wax on/wax off." It will be ages before I even begin to understand what I witnessed this weekend at Se Raeda Ranch, which felt quite like attending a mini Renaissance faire for dressage enthusiasts. I laughed, I cried, I mourned Josey's death, and for a few moments, I felt communion with others who cared about their horses just as deeply as I do my own. I felt like I was practicing *living.*

I am so thankful to JK Inspired LLC - Jillian R. Kreinbring to have been able to audit, and I am also thankful for the peace of mind that comes with knowing Sedona is warm at home, eating his , even though I am away.

Special mentions to Brenda Paradis of Diamond B Equestrian Center Brenda Paradis/Diamond B, Jennifer Jones of Jennifer Jones Dressage and Scents of The Texas Hill Country, Denise of CercaTrova Equestrian Mindset Coaching, Dr. Todd Behre Equine Dentistry, JBM Equine Services, Arnall's Naturals, my friends Carly Conley and Siena Krueger, and my parents - all of whom continue to encourage me in all my different endeavors, even though I am not perfect and frequently make mistakes.

-Sarah Serfling

"Life is a balance of holding on and letting go." -Rumi

10/24/2023

Cowboy Magic's Green Spot Remover did NOT work the way I hoped!!! I just ended up smearing the stains. 🤦🏽‍♀️. We are going to have to try some new products going into the winter - recommendations welcome!!!!!

Sedona's girth itch is improving, but he's still not ready for a cinch rubbing his skin yet...so here's some more liberty and groundwork progress. He has gotten noticeably more engaged, interactive, and relaxed in just the last week.

Can't wait to see how the new Arnall's Naturals works for Sedona. We should see some changes in the next few weeks!